RSPCA braced for busiest month after 3,593 wildlife calls last June came from North West

The RSPCA is preparing for its busiest month of the year as it reveals that calls about wildlife from people in the North West of England peaked at 3,593 last June - with 997 in Lancashire.

The charity received more than 204,9741 calls about wildlife in 2018 across England and Wales last year; with 23,545 of those from the North West alone.

Nearly half (93,097) of all the calls were received in the peak summer months May (28,211 calls), June (34,651) and July (30,235), the height of the breeding season for many wild animals.

The top five species the calls related to were pigeons (36,629 calls), red foxes (24,352 calls), gulls undefined (23,467 calls), hedgehogs (10,642 calls) and deer (9152).

The RSPCA’s Scientific Officer Evie Button says: “May, June and July are our busiest months for wildlife, so our officers, centre staff and volunteers are flat out at this time of year.

“Caring for young animals at our wildlife centres can be a round-the-clock job. Some of the most vulnerable animals need to be hand-fed every few hours, even through the night.

“From newborn fox cubs which have lost their mother, to injured blackbirds or tiny orphaned ‘hoglets’, the RSPCA is very busy caring for and rehabilitating animals so they can hopefully be re-introduced to the wild.”

RSPCA officers collected 59,428 wild animals in 2018, peaking in June and July with 9,688 and 10,388 collections respectively.

As well as the most common of Britain’s wildlife, the RSPCA was contacted last year about more unusual or rare animals including a Natterer’s bat, a natterjack toad and a hen harrier.

To help wildlife in the garden this summer you can:

Put out fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing,

Take care using lawnmowers or strimmers and keeping pesticides out of reach of animals.